Mustard is the world’s fastest-growing condiment

When you reach for the mustard at your holiday barbecue, you may be doing more than adding some spice to your hot dog.

You may be showing the world you’re a true trendsetter.

In recent years, mustard has been embraced as the “it” condiment by the foodie crowd. Gourmet brands are releasing mustards reflecting a broadening range of styles and incorporating a seemingly endless array of flavors. Among the varieties now on store shelves: Dusseldorf-style mustards (“Move over Dijon,” declared one food writer recently), fruity mustards (blueberry, anyone?) and the super-coarse Tin Mustard (it’s got a texture reminiscent of caviar, say fans).

And mainstream manufacturers are getting in on the act, too. French’s, the best-selling brand that’s long been known for its classic yellow variety, now offers Sooo Creamy & Light, a “mild mustard blend” that’s intended to be a health-conscious substitute for mayo (“Mayo has met its match,” French’s touts). As for Kraft-owned Grey Poupon – the brand famous for its iconic “Pardon me, would you have any…” ad” – it has made headlines again for a different kind of commercial: namely, a fake one. Comedians Adam Grimes and Jessica Sattelberger recently produced a potty humor-minded mock ad (unapproved by the brand) that has become a viral sensation . Still, if nothing else, it shows mustard is, well, hot.

Mustard also equals money, at least judging by recently available data: The condiment raked in U.S. sales of $508 million in 2012 -- an 11% jump since 2007, according to Mintel, a market researcher. True, mustard doesn’t quite measure up to ketchup in this country (ketchup sales hit $743 million in 2012). But most food industry insiders and experts believe that mustard is positioned to grow in popularity not only because it’s so global (the condiment, which can be traced back to the Romans, is popular in just about every culture and country, from Brazil to Great Britain), but also because it’s naturally healthy. As a recent French’s ad campaign touts, “Farmers make our mustard zero calories, not scientists.”

Mustard is also versatile: Sure, it’s the classic topping to the hot dog that’s enjoyed at the ballpark or summer barbecue, but it can just as easily be paired with items ranging from roast beef to soft pretzels or used as a key ingredient in casseroles, dressings and other foodstuffs. Grey Poupon even suggests a turkey gravy for the holidays incorporating its mustard.

In short, it’s the condiment of the moment, says chef and restaurateur Alice Price Becker.

“Mustard is the new butter, the new mayo,” she says, adding that it’s not unusual these days to hear restaurant patrons “asking for mustard for their bread and their fries.”

And as Becker’s experience attests, the condiment’s popularity goes beyond store shelves and home kitchens. Mustard is indeed finding its way into higher-end dining establishments. At the Public House at The Venetian in Las Vegas, executive chef Anthony Meidenbauer has crafted his own bacon-onion mustard as a complement to some of his starters. At the Fairmount Chateau Whistler resort in Canada, mixologists have been known to serve a house cocktail rimmed with crushed mustard seeds.

And at Avant at San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo Inn, chef Nicolas Bour is offering a house-made mustard on tap (just like beer, except in smaller quantities). “The mustard is flowing,” Bour says of business at the restaurant.

If there were a place where that flow is a veritable mustard monsoon, it would have to be the National Mustard Museum, situated in Middleton, Wisc. (just two-and-half-hours from Chicago or “a mere 6,578 kilometers from Dijon, France,” as the museum touts on its website). Here, curator Barry Levenson, a former Wisconsin assistant attorney general, presides over a showcase of more than 5,500 mustards from all 50 states and 70-plus counties. That is, when he’s not sending mustard by mail through his museum online store or planning the annual world-wide mustard competition (this year’s contest attracted nearly 300 entries).

Oh, and don’t forget National Mustard Day on Aug. 2. At the museum, that calls for a big party, highlighted by mustard custard – yes, mustard in ice cream. Barry Levenson says it tastes better than you might suspect. “People really line up for this,” he adds.

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